ast week at a 17 year old’s funeral service, we sang the well known song, “It Is Well With My Soul“. It seems like the right funeral song to sing . . . ingrained with such hope. I have memories of singing it at several funerals. But what always comes to mind now is when a friend shared with me about a funeral she attended, also of a young boy and they sang this song, when they got to the verse below, the family jumped up from their seats, praising God, and so thankful for this hope:

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

This part sure is not one of sorrow but a jubilant one! It needs an encore! I wanted to jump up last week . . . but, I probably would have been the only one! To have such hope . . . to know without a doubt that someday, what we do have faith in, what we cannot see, will become reality. We will see Jesus face to face. Tears will be wiped away. There will be endless joys and awe with no more sorrows, pains . . . no more death. And we do want this day hastened! To be reunited with our loved ones . . . to sit at Jesus’ feet.

But for now, as the author writes above, we do walk in faith – so much of it unseen. We cannot understand why His ways are not our ways . . . but someday, the puzzle pieces will fit together, and we will see from eternities perspective, how through our perseverance and glorifying God through our lives, it was worth it all.

Someday it will be forever jubilant! Someday my faith shall be sight! What hope!

Enjoyed your post, and it reminded me . . . While we were in Israel we visited the site believed to be the place where Jesus was held in a dungeon pit before being taken to Pilate and then crucifixion. We read a passage from Psalms that alluded to Jesus suffering. The moment was still and deep with emotion. Some one requested that we sing a song. We sang It is Well with My Soul.

I truly agree. The song is glorious, filled with great spiritual Truth. AND seeing what is on our plate, and what so many others face, REQUIRES that we see that Truth; it is what will keep us going. Nothing else will.

My mother passed away a few months ago at age 100. As we opened the service for her funeral, the congregation joined in as we sang, “When the Saints Go Marching In, I want to be in that number when the saints go marching in.! Unusual but it was great!